Half-Life 3 Trademark Filing was Fake

ValveTime.net notes the recent filing of an EU trademark for Half-Life 3 is no longer listed on the OHIM website. They go so far as to say this proves the listing was a hoax, though as far as we know, no one has concretely explained what's going on here. We can now confirm that the "Half-Life 3" trademark has been removed from the Trademarks and Design Registration Office of the European Union (OHIM) website.

The entrant appears to have disappeared entirely after only being listed on the website database for little over a week, allowing us to identify that the trademark's listing was more than likely a hoax intended to generate fake buzz for a game which is unlikely to appear for several years. Returning readers may remember when we had discussed how the "Half-Life 3" listing was previously never officially checked or authenticated before its removal.

On October 2nd 2013, a brand new trademark filing appeared on the same site, this time for "Portal 3", which is listed under the trademark number of "012190286". While this new filing should almost definitely be taken with a rather large pinch of salt, we can confirm that the "Portal 3" listing appears to have been appropriately examined by OHIM, unlike the previously listed "Half-Life 3" trademark. Thanks to the recent sneak peak into Valve's Jira account, we can confirm that there is currently no "Portal 3" development team within the company, highlighting that this brand new listing is also very likely a hoax of some kind, regardless of whether or not it has been officially examined. We'll keep you posted if and when we learn more.

Valve applies for Half-Life 3 trademark in EU - 10/03/2013 07:25 AM
Hmmz ? A trademark application for Half-Life 3, possibly the next entry in Valve's excruciatingly dormant Half-Life franchise, has been filed in Europe, according to the Office for Harmonization i...

Half-Life: Origins (Live Action) video - 11/29/2011 11:56 AM
Half-Life Origins is an independent short by Infectious Designer. Everyone remembers the first time they stepped onto the Black Mesa Transit System and into the shoes of the unexpected hero, Gordon Fr...

#4670983 Posted on: 10/07/2013 02:09 PM
Knew that was coming. They never even announced HL3. They at least announced EP3 years ago so I still expect that to come out first.

schmidtbag
Maha Guru

Posts: 1069
Joined: 2012-11-10

#4671003 Posted on: 10/07/2013 02:42 PM

Knew that was coming. They never even announced HL3. They at least announced EP3 years ago so I still expect that to come out first.

I agree. When I first heard about the trademark, I was thinking "they're not going to make the game, they're probably just making sure nobody else does". While I think it's strange that this turned out to be fake, it makes me wonder who said it was real in the first place. Funny how Valve doesn't seem to care the slightest bit that this happened.

Solfaur
Ancient Guru

Posts: 6048
Joined: 2005-08-10

#4671008 Posted on: 10/07/2013 02:46 PM
The one info about HL3 that is 100% legit (srs) is that Gordon Freeman will ditch the goatee and have a fullbeard this time arround.

makaveli316
Master Guru

Posts: 167
Joined: 2012-09-28

#4671038 Posted on: 10/07/2013 03:39 PM
Who cares if it's fake or not. Either way Half Life 3 will come out some day.